U for Universe

This was yet another of those letters where I couldn’t find anything to write about.

U for Uniforms? My sons’ obsession with drawing superheros? But it is costumes that they wear, not uniforms, isn’t it?
U for the Underworld? But that is something I know next to nothing about- the Mario Puzo variety, and the one that Osirus presides over!
U for Underground? I would have loved to write about possible solutions to the mass transportation problem in my city, but considering the city is only inches above the high tide mark, no solution can take place Underground.
U for YouTube? Not only would that be cheating, I am a total newbie to the site, and would have nothing to contribute.
U for Umbrella? I could write about the fun of splashing through puddles with nothing with a brightly coloured umbrella protecting me from getting drenched. But wouldn’t it make more sense to do that post AFTER the monsoons start?

I was no closer to finding a word for the letter, when I logged onto google and found this –

Today is the 20th Anniversary of the Hubble Space telescope. I had my U-post. “U for Universe”.

I had just taken my school-leaving exams when the Hubble Telescope was shot into space. And in the months between leaving school and starting college, the Hubble Space Telescope became almost an obsession. Those were the days before the Internet and when you had only one channel on TV, so news was hard to come by. But I still managed to devour every tiny snippet of news that came out. I remember cheering when the Telescope was finally shot into space, and I remember groaning in despair when we got the news that one of the mirrors were not functioning, which would adversely affect the quality of images the telescope could pick up.
Somewhere along the line, I lost interest in the Hubble Telescope. I was vaguely aware of the fact that NASA had spent an awesome amount of time and effort in repairing the non-functioning mirror, and the spirit soared whenever I got to see some of the images sent back by the telescope. But I no longer followed the progress of Hubble in quite the breathless way in which I used to do.

Here are just some of the images that the Hubble Space Telescope sent back over the years.

NGC 2818, a planetary nebula

Individual stars at the centre of the globular cluster, Omega Centuri.

NGC 3603, an open star cluster

Whirlpool Galaxy, a face on spiral galaxy much like our own

Is it even possible not to be awed by the immense beauty of the Universe? And when you are in touch with the Universe, do you feel humbled because you are so insignificant in the larger scheme of things, or do you feel a surge of power because you realise that you are an intrinsic part of something so Grand?